


love you for a long time

by thatsoddlyromantic



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Canon Lesbian Relationship, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:47:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoddlyromantic/pseuds/thatsoddlyromantic
Summary: A series of oneshots that's meant to fill in some of the little moments in Dani and Jamie's life during the years they spent together after leaving Bly. Most (if not all) of these have come from prompts, and will be titled accordingly!
Relationships: Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 1
Kudos: 56





	1. cooking

Dani stood in the kitchen, anxiously glancing back and forth between the dinner she was currently preparing and the recipe book on the counter. She had wanted to surprise Jamie by trying to make one of her favourite meals from back home in England— a traditional cottage pie— but it was proving much more complicated than she expected. The first step had gone okay, and Dani had been quite pleased with herself. But now, she wasn’t sure if she’d added too much beef broth or not enough, or if the liquid simmering in the pot in front of her was supposed to be so thick. Even though she’d done her best to follow the recipe, the only thing it currently looked like to her was a disappointment. Dani sighed as she gave the mixture a halfhearted stir.

“What’s the matter, Poppins?”

Dani dropped her wooden spoon as she spun around to see Jamie standing in the doorway. She had just returned home from the grocery store— an errand that Dani had sent her on so she could cook what was supposed to be a wonderful surprise meal— and was carrying a couple paper bags filled with food. However, Jamie had returned sooner than anticipated, and Dani wasn’t anywhere near finished.

“Oh, it’s— it’s nothing,” Dani quickly said, forcing a smile as she attempted to block Jamie’s view. However, her girlfriend could tell right away that something was up. She set the grocery bags down by the door and walked right over to Dani.

“Now what’s all this?” Jamie asked, eyeing the counter space with suspicion. She could see the array of various kitchen utensils and ingredients that was spread across it— and a sheepish looking Dani standing in front of her. “You trying to make dinner tonight?”

Dani nodded.

As she stood there with Jamie’s eyes trained on hers, Dani knew she couldn’t hide her failed attempt at the British dish any longer. She begrudgingly stepped aside, allowing Jamie to make her way over to the stove.

“Right, let’s see what we’ve got here,” Jamie said, lifting the lid of the pot to peer inside. She couldn’t quite place it, but there was something about the smell wafting through the kitchen that seemed oddly familiar. Comforting, even. Then it dawned on her.

“Hang on, is that…?”

Jamie turned back to face Dani, an incredulous look on her face.

“It’s cottage pie,” Dani blurted. “Or at least, it was supposed to be. I know you said you missed it since they don’t make it the same over here… so I went and found a traditional recipe and thought I’d try it out.”

She blushed.

Jamie continued to stare at Dani, genuinely touched by her girlfriend’s thoughtful gesture.

“I just thought it would be nice to surprise you,” Dani said. “But I haven’t even finished and it’s already ruined!”

“Dani…” Jamie started.

Dani bit her lip as she looked down at the ground. She was expecting Jamie to be upset, or disappointed, or annoyed that the meal hadn’t worked out as planned. Instead, Dani was met with nothing but tenderness, as loving arms wrapped around her from behind.

“Oh, Poppins… you haven’t ruined it,” Jamie said softly.

“I haven’t?” Dani asked in surprise, looking up at her girlfriend.

“No!” Jamie exclaimed. “And it’s quite a lovely surprise actually… it’s just missing a little British touch, that’s all.”

Jamie winked, and Dani couldn’t help but laugh. No matter what, Jamie somehow had a way of always making her feel better. It was one of the things Dani loved most about her— how she could always help to get her out of her head and ground her in the moment.

“Now, what do you say we finish making this thing together?” Jamie asked.

Dani smiled— a genuine smile this time— and leaned up to kiss Jamie.

“I’d love to.”


	2. blanket

The weather had turned cooler shortly after Dani and Jamie moved to Vermont, a chill in the air that could be felt as the leaves changed colour. While the couple had been wearing layers of clothing and purchased a space heater to provide extra warmth within their cozy little apartment, it wasn’t enough. Even a warm cup of tea— which Jamie insisted she be the one to make— did little to combat the cold. That’s why after a few days of trying to make do with their current conditions, Jamie came up with a solution.

“I know what we need, Poppins,” she declared matter-of-factly one night.

“Yeah? What’s that?” Dani asked. She turned to look at her girlfriend, who wore a grey sweater over her denim coveralls.

“We should just get a big old blanket.”

While the two had been living together for some time now, most of the items they’d purchased had been practical ones. (And yes, Jamie’s plants were non-negotiable.) Now, there was yet another thing added to their list of necessities. But Dani had to admit she liked the idea of snuggling up underneath a blanket with Jamie, both of them finally feeling the warmth they’d been longing for.

“That would be nice,” Dani said, smiling brightly. “How about we go and look for one tomorrow?”

Jamie grinned.

“Sounds like a plan to me!”

When they went blanket shopping the next day, it took a while for them to make a decision. Jamie had questioned the lilac-coloured knit Dani held up, joking that it looked like one of her sweaters, while Dani found some of Jamie’s selections a little dull for her taste. Finally, they settled on the perfect blanket— a thick mint green fleece that seemed more than big enough for both of them to share.

“Right, there we go,” Jamie said, tossing their new purchase onto the couch once they got home. She and Dani wasted no time in unfolding it, both eager to use the blanket for the first time. As soon as they sat down, Jamie wrapped it around them, sighing happily.

“Ah, now that’s more like it,” she said. Dani nodded, instantly feeling the chill of the past few days give way to the coziness of the blanket.

However, she soon came to realize that sharing a blanket with Jamie was more of a challenge than she expected. That’s because Jamie had a tendency to pull the blanket closer to her side, at times making Dani feel like her girlfriend was lost underneath its fleecy material.

Dani avoided broaching the topic at first. After all, she didn’t want to make Jamie feel bad about it— and she was clearly staying warm. On a particularly chilly day though, while the two of them were in bed, she decided to speak up.

“Would you mind just, um…?”

Dani tried to motion tugging the blanket over towards her.

“We playing charades now, Poppins?” Jamie asked, a hint of amusement in her tone.

Dani sighed. It seemed she had no choice but to get to the point.

“The blanket,” she said. “I feel like sometimes I’m getting too much of it and not enough of you. And I didn’t want to say anything at first, but I—“

Jamie shifted the blanket over to Dani’s side a little, making it more evenly distributed between them.

“That better?” she asked.

“Yeah… it is,” Dani said with a soft smile, grateful and surprised that Jamie had been so accommodating. “Thanks, babe.”

Jamie smiled back, looking at Dani with a tender expression.

“No problem at all.”

Then, snuggled into her lover underneath the comfort of their blanket, just like she’d originally envisioned, Dani drifted off to sleep.


	3. light

Dani had a complicated relationship with birthdays. She’d always been excited about giving and receiving presents, and celebrating with loved ones. And if there was cake involved? Even better. But now, birthdays had also become a bittersweet reminder of her own mortality. While she still enjoyed all that they entailed, she never knew when she’d be celebrating her last one— a thought she tried to push to the back of her mind as the fateful day approached yet again.

Four years had passed since Dani and Jamie had moved in together. Four more birthdays, four more anniversaries, four more Christmases than Dani had ever thought they would get to share, and she cherished every one of them. They were already a couple months into 1992, which meant that Dani’s birthday wasn’t far off.

Jamie always closed the flower shop for the day. It was one of the rare instances when she did so, wanting to ensure that her time with Dani would be uninterrupted. Even though Dani had told her every year that she didn’t need to, that it was just another day, Jamie insisted on it. She’d given that day to Dani for the past four years, and she wasn’t about to stop now. She knew how Dani felt about celebrating special occasions— she never let herself get excited about them until the actual day arrived. Still, they had fallen into something of a tradition.

They would spend a cozy morning in bed together before Jamie gave Dani her present— something simple but meaningful she’d picked out especially for her. That was then followed by brunch at a local diner and a trip to the video store. Finally, they would go back to their apartment to order takeout and watch whatever movie Dani had selected, and Jamie would bring out a cake. The tradition may have been a casual one, but it was theirs all the same.

So far, everything was going according to plan. Dani’s eyes had lit up when Jamie gave her a pair of earrings that looked like little moonflowers. She’d put them on before they headed out, swapping them with her usual gold hoops. Brunch was delicious, and a little while after they’d arrived home from their afternoon outing, Jamie had ordered takeout from a Chinese restaurant.

This year, the movie Dani had chosen was _Thelma & Louise_, which she thought sounded fun since it was about two women hitting the road together. She popped the tape into the VCR player and went over to join Jamie on the couch, the containers of takeout sitting in front of them.

The opening credits of _Thelma & Louise_ were just starting to roll when the television screen suddenly flickered off. Then, the entire room went dark.

“What the—?” Dani exclaimed in surprise, looking over at Jamie.

“Hey Poppins, can you grab me a torch?” she heard Jamie ask. “Should be right over there.”

Jamie gestured vaguely in the darkness towards Dani’s side of the room. Realizing that she meant what she knew as a ‘flashlight,’ Dani felt around for one on the side table near her. It took a few seconds, but she finally managed to locate it.

“Okay, got it!” Dani said. She grabbed the flashlight and handed it to Jamie, who turned it on as she got up to assess the situation.

After a moment, Jamie sighed.

“So what happened?” Dani asked, curious about the source of the unexpected blackout.

“Looks like a fuse blew,” Jamie said. “Well, that’ll have to be fixed later. In the meantime…”

Jamie shone the flashlight in front of her as she walked over to the kitchen. She then opened the refrigerator and took out a small decorated cake, which she brought over to Dani.

“…we can still celebrate.”

Jamie smiled as she set the flashlight down on the couch, retrieving her lighter from the pocket of her overalls. Then, after flicking it on, she used it to illuminate the candles on the cake one by one.

“Make a wish, Poppins,” Jamie said softly.

As Dani closed her eyes, she made the same wish that she’d made every year on her birthday since leaving Bly. A wish that she held deep within in her heart, though she didn’t dare express it aloud for fear it might not come true.

_I wish for another birthday with Jamie._

Dani blew out the candles, their bright flames flickering in the dark. As she opened her eyes, she saw that only one lit candle remained. Dani couldn’t help but wonder if it was some kind of sign.

_One more candle._

_One more year._

She knew it was silly to think. Her fate wouldn’t be dictated by a glowing candle, but by a malevolent spirit. Another birthday wasn’t guaranteed. Still, Dani allowed herself to entertain the possibility for a brief moment, smiling at the idea of it. After all, they’d made it this far. _She_ had made it this far.

The candle flickered out just like the others had, leaving the room in darkness once again and snapping Dani back to reality. Then, she leaned over to kiss Jamie. It was soft yet assured, as Jamie’s lips met her own with equal passion. Dani cupped Jamie’s cheek, smiling into the kiss before she gently pulled away.

“Thank you,” Dani said. She took a deep breath before continuing on, forcing herself to acknowledge the occasion. “Thank you for making my birthday— _all_ of my birthdays— so wonderful. I just wanted to tell you that in case…“

She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as tears formed in her eyes. Jamie reached over and turned on the flashlight, positioning it so that the beam of light shone on both of them.

“Dani…” Jamie said softly, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. She knew all too well where this was going. “Shhh. We don’t need to think about that. One day at a time, remember?”

Dani bit her lip and nodded.

“One day at a time.”

She took another deep breath after echoing Jamie’s words, which had become a kind of affirmation to help her stay grounded in the present.

They held each other’s gaze for a moment before Dani wrapped her arms around Jamie. While she didn’t know how many birthdays she had left, she reminded herself that right now, it didn’t matter. She’d gotten to spend this one with the love of her life, and that was more than enough.


	4. storm

It wasn’t supposed to rain as hard as it did that day. The weather had called for light showers, not a torrential downpour. And yet, a storm had come rolling in at what seemed like the worst possible time.

Jamie huffed as she walked through the door of the apartment she and Dani had shared for close to a year now. She was drenched from head to toe, clearly having been caught in the violent weather unprepared. In one hand, she clutched what appeared to be a bouquet of colourful flowers— but their petals were badly damaged.

“Poppins?” she called out. Dani wasn’t in the living room or kitchen. And she hadn’t mentioned going out anywhere.

Jamie kicked off her Doc Martens and frowned. It always made her worry when she didn’t know Dani’s whereabouts, hoping that she was in fact still around. Thankfully, her concern only lasted for a brief moment.

“I’m just in here!” Dani answered, her voice echoing through the apartment.

Jamie headed down the hall and saw that Dani was in the bedroom, looking like she was in the middle of reorganizing things. As her footsteps drew closer, Dani turned around.

“Here you go,” Jamie said, shoving the bouquet of flowers towards her.

“Oh!” Dani exclaimed. “What are these for?”

She looked at Jamie with wide eyes, accepting the unexpected gift as she took in her girlfriend’s current appearance.

Dani’s mind raced, trying to come up with a reason Jamie had gone out to get her flowers. _Had she somehow forgotten a special occasion?_ Right away, Jamie sensed her panic.

“Saw them while I was walking home and just thought they’d be a nice surprise, that’s all,” she explained with a shrug. “Help to brighten up the place. But it seems like the weather had other plans.”

Dani glanced back to the bouquet she was now holding. The flowers had fallen victim to the storm, their tattered petals starting to wilt. Still, she looked at them with admiration.

“They’re chrysanthemums,” Jamie said. “You don’t have to keep them though if you don’t want to, I know they look pretty shit.”

“Jamie… I love them.”

“You do?” Jamie asked, surprised.

“Sure, they might not be in the best shape now,” Dani continued. “But we can put them in a vase, and water them… and then when they bloom again, they’ll be even more beautiful.”

Dani smiled brightly.

Jamie was constantly amazed at her girlfriend’s ability to try and find the silver lining in things. Dani would always take an opportunity to look after what needed extra love and care, seeing an opportunity for growth where others only saw wasted potential.

“Yeah… I reckon you’re right about that,” Jamie admitted, a smile making its way onto her lips.

She took Dani’s free hand in her own, leading her girlfriend over to the kitchen. On the counter sat a tall, cylindrical vase. Jamie had been saving it for a flower arrangement she’d been working on, but she supposed that could wait.

Dani carefully put the flowers she was holding into the vase. Then, she and Jamie stood back to look at them.

“There we go,” Dani said. She turned to face Jamie. “Thank you for the lovely flowers, babe.”

She kissed Jamie on the cheek, and Jamie blushed slightly. It had been silly to think Dani wouldn’t want the flowers. After all, she loved everything that Jamie gave her.

“No problem at all, Poppins.”


End file.
